I have been busy lately. We have all been busy lately. Everyone I talk to right now is busy. Busy, busy, busy. But in all the busyness I have moments where all the people who I need to call, write, email, call, see, and call some more are top of mind. Swirling. Trying to find the time. How to not short change our conversations with the limited time we have. But then, I realize, sometimes it’s just the trying that counts. To say, I had a few minutes and am thinking of you. Today, I got this email forward from a dear friend who I have been playing phone tag with for months.

Her only words were, “to my special few.”

So today, I am sharing it with you all, because it means something. To tell the people we love that they mean something. Small or big. To just type it, call it in, text it, or share a kind word in person. It can change so much beyond what we may ever know. Mean so much beyond what we can ever know.

So today, while I have the most wonderful post to write about our past few weeks and all those that have “shown up,” I have decided I am going to be spreading joy of another kind. To thank my dear friend, Y, all my other friends, my family and all of you. To say, that while we are all busy, today is for saying you are special and wonderful you all mean so much to those around you and you all to me.

I will warn you that as so many of these stories, the perspective in this story is found through hardship, but these hardships are also a reality in our lives so take not the fear but the opportunity and know that sharing this knowledge with those you care about and make today ‘theirnewfavoriteday.” By sharing and receiving this, I hope it’s “younrewfavoriteday” too!

❤ Shannon

Never be too busy for a friend…

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.

Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.

It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.

That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.

On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. ‘Really?’ she heard whispered. ‘I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!’ and, ‘I didn’t know others liked me so much,’ were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn’t matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

Several years later, one of the students was killed in
Iraq and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.

As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. ‘Were you Mark’s math teacher?’ he asked. She nodded: ‘yes.’ Then he said: ‘Mark talked about you a lot.’
After the funeral, most of Mark’s former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark’s mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
‘We want to show you something,’ his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket ‘They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.’
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark’s classmates had said about him.
‘Thank you so much for doing that,’ Mark’s mother said. ‘As you can see, Mark treasured it.’

All of Mark’s former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, ‘I still have my list. It’s in the top drawer of my desk at home.’

Chuck’s wife said, ‘Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.’

‘I have mine too,’ Marilyn said. ‘It’s in my diary’

Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. ‘I carry this with me at all times,’ Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: ‘I think we all saved our lists’

That’s when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.

The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don’t know when that one day will be.

So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important for we know only today and not yet tomorrow..

In the busyness of life, let’s all make the time to tell others we love them or what makes the special. It’s a lovely gift with a lasting effect.

Share this link with someone who wants to make this their "new favorite day":

Like this:

Related

About Shannon Pruitt from 'Mynewfavoriteday'

Welcome to 'mynewfavoriteday. This space is about gratitude and connecting through being open, vulnerable and real. I hope you will enjoy my take on motivation, inspiration and advocacy and will take the opportunity to tell me of your own thoughts and stories.
Why I started 'mynewfavoriteday.'
I am a childhood surviving, divorced, now happily married, IVF (and now natural pregnancy) success story, working mother of 2 amazing babies who were born 12 weeks premature. As life often seems to surprise you when you least expect it, we added another sweet baby girl M to our family in July of 2013. While our angel minis, Q and E are now 7 years old, our son, Q, has thrived while our daughter, E, has had a much more difficult journey. She is considered special needs and in September of 2012 was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome. And so, as she has grown, so do we as individuals and as family. How to help her, how to celebrate our differences while allowing ourselves to cope with the challenges that we never knew to expect. Thus, while much of this blog is based on our experiences (good and not-so-good), it is also based on how we must not let ourselves become victims of our circumstances but rather advocate in our own lives.
A little bit about me and who I am.
In my professional life I am a marketer in the Entertainment Industry; however, ‘mynewfavoriteday,’ was not born of entertainment or marketing but rather as a pathway to help myself and others as we try to define who we are as parents, family members, spouses, friends, colleagues and people. I believe in never judging a book by its cover. Every cover is different, and no matter what your cover looks like, you never know how someone's book is written. Like mine. From the outside, you might never know what truly makes me who I am or what I believe. This blog explores the pages on the inside of my book. My vulnerabilities, fears, happiness, and all my triggers through the lens of being grateful for all the amazing blessings I know I have received but sometimes forget in the challenges of daily life.
Thanks again for dropping by. I hope you will come back, subscribe, comment, share, and/or just hang out and be inspired or motivated to make each day for yourself or someone else 'anewfavoriteday.' By being here, you have certainly helped to make it mine.
xo,
Shannon

4 Comments on “Never too busy to remind someone they are special.”

I can’t tell you how much I loved this post. It is absolutely the way I try to live – by spreading the positive words [not the negative ones] and following the Golden Rule. I also try to use the opposite of that saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” by thinking of it as, “If you have anything nice to say, SAY IT!” I think people are embarrassed to give compliments sometimes, or they’re afraid of embarassing someone. But who doesn’t love a compliment (even if they don’t show it)?!. Folks DON’T realize how you feel unless you speak it aloud; we’re all too busy worrying and feeling self-conscious all the time. What an amazing story and spectacular teacher! Thank you for sharing this 🙂

You dear friend made my day yesterday with your quick call and this post today. I got this forward from my 80 something year old Grandfather and I sent it to you, a couple other dear friends and my brothers. It’s so true and such a kind message to stop and reflect on when we are all busy. I often say it’s “about the people, moment, being engaged”. That can mean so much in so many quick simple ways when life is busy. And yes life has moved from busy to CHAOTIC! LOL. However my dear friend I’m committed to lunch so email me some dates. xoxoxo Hope Em’s feeling better.

I can’t believe i haven’t been here in such a while… i got swamped with thousands of emails and digging out has been incredibly challenging… I’m finally catching up again on blog posts. Thanks for your patience! 🙂

About Me

My name is Shannon Pruitt and I am so grateful you have joined me here at 'mynewfavoriteday.' It is my hope that as you spend time on this blog, you will take the following reminders with you that will make you want to come back, subscribe, comment, and share 'mynewfavoriteday.' 1) Be "present" and recognize moments in your life so that moments don't pass you by and you can truly appreciate all you have in each day. 2) Count your blessings. Be grateful for family, friends, pets, things, a roof over your head, food to eat, your ability to laugh, or walk, or hear, or see. Reminding yourself of these things can be the first step in making each day 'yournewfavoriteday.' 3) Know you are not alone. While our experiences may be different the emotions that we experience whenever we struggle or are challenged are the same for they are the core human emotions of sadness, fear, loneliness, and yet we are all searching for the same emotions as well of hope, love, happiness, joy and peace. At 'mynewfavoriteday' you are never alone and you never know what you might find from my posts or other's comments that just might help you find a little more of those core emotions we all look for. 4) Use your voice. Remember you are your own best advocate and by using your voice you may inspire others or be inspired, so go ahead and speak up. 5) Be grateful. For each breath, for the opportunity to live. Be motivated and inspired that you have the chance to just be.

I hope today and everyday is 'yournewfavoriteday' and I thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts, stories and inspiring words with me as it helps me beyond words. Sincerely, Shannon